Research I did over the offseason shows that some players provide security blankets for their quarterbacks against blitz-heavy teams while other players see fewer targets. A six-pack of blitz touchdowns in Week 7 should have helped the fantasy owners of Amari Cooper, Doug Baldwin, Julio Jones, and Jimmy Graham relax a bit. I’m confident all four players should continue that return to form over the rest of 2017, and one of the set has another enticing blitz matchup this week. Let’s look at the players with the best and worst matchups for Week 8.
Players to target
Zach Miller, TE, Chicago Bears
It may seem a bit dangerous to roll with any participant in the Bears’ sporadic passing game. After all, rookie quarterback Mitch Trubisky has completed a grand total of 12 passes the last two weeks, and given that they won both games, it’s hard to envision them abandoning their extreme run focus in the short term. I think Miller is the exception, but only against heavy-blitzing teams like their Week 8 opponent, the Saints (42.7 percent blitz rate, second-highest). With Mike Glennon under center, Miller saw just 20.0 percent of his targets come against blitzes, but since Trubisky took the reins, Miller has 7 blitz targets and 2 blitz touchdowns — one from Tarik Cohen — against 6 non-blitz targets. When circumstances force Trubisky to throw the ball, he looks for Miller.
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